Vending-machine.



No. 646,746. Patented Apr. 3, I900.

' W. MOB. MACK.

VENDING MACHINE. (Application filed .16, 1599.

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES m E N W A m:- humus PETERS cu. mom-um" WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MCCOY MACK, or BRIDGTON, MAINE.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,746, dated April 3,1900. Application filed August 18, 1899. Serial No. 727,664. N m l-l Toall whom it may concern."

Be it known that LWILLIAM MCCOY MAoK, of Bridgton, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and ImprovedVending-Machine, of whichthe following is a fu1l,'clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvements inplacing the machine inoperative condition,

as will lighter disks of tin orithe like and washers.

I will describe a vending-machine embody v ing my invention and thenpoint out the novel features in the appended claims;

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart ofthis specification,

in which similar'charac'ters of reference indicate corresponding partsin allthe figures.

Figure 1 is 'a section'on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2 of a vending-machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is'a partial elevation and partialsection with the back of the casing removedi Fig. 3 shows ajportion of acoin chute employed, and Fig. 4 showsoneof the operating-leversemployed.

Referring to the drawings, l'designates a casing, here shown as providedat aboutits center with a horizontal partition 2, dividing the casinginto upper and lower compartments. In each compartment is a hopper 3,designed to receive cigars from boxes placed thereon, and mounted torotate in each hopper is a delivery-wheel, consisting of a cylinder4,.having outwardly-extended blades 5, which form side walls of pocketsfor receiving cigars, each pocket being of a size to receive one cigaronly. The shaft of each delivery-wheelextends outward through theopposite side walls of its hopper, and to each projected end of theshaft is attached a coinreceiving wheel 6. Each coin receiving wheel ismade in the form of a disk having on its periphery a number of teeth '7,which project laterally or inward of the disk portion and reach nearlyto a stop-disk 8, attached to the shaft. The coin delivered from a chuteto be hereinafter described is designed to be received between adjacentteeth 7. Backward rotation of the coin-wheels, and consequently abackward rotation of the delivery-wheel,is prevented by means ofspringpressed dogs 9, engaging with the teeth of the coin-receivingwheels. Forward motion is imparted to the coin-wheels and to thedelivery-wheels by means of levers extended outward through openings inthe casing.

Each lever 10 is mounted loosely on the shaft of the delivery-wheel atthe outer side of the coin-wheel. The lever has an upward and rearwardproject-ion 11, from which a spring. 12 extends to a fixed pin in thecasing, the spring serving to move the outer end of the lever to itsuppermost position for operation. Attached to each lever is a plate 13of resilient metal, and the plates carry one. or more inwardly-extendedratchet-teeth 14, the

number of teeth depending upon the number of steps the'delivery-wheel istobe rotated for discharging cigarsthat is, if a single cigar is to bedischarged therewill bebut one tooth on the plate if three are to bedischarged, there will be three teeth on the plate, and if six are to bedischarged there will be sixteeth on the plate. 1 i

In operation of the device as so' far described it will be assumed thata box containing cigars which retail for ten cents each, or three for aquarter, is first placed in the uppercompartment and that a boxcontaining cigars that retail for five cents each, or six for a quarter,is placed in the lower compartment. Now if a person desires one ten-centcigar he will place a ten-cent piecein the upper'chute leading to thecoin wheel, (shown at the right hand side in the upper compartment ofFig.

2,) the coin will fall between the teeth of this coin-wheel, asindicated by dotted lines in the lower portion of Fig. 2, and the inneredge of the coin will engage against the stop-disk I 8 and also againstthe walls of a guide 15, secured in the casing, the said walls beingextended down at opposite sides of the coinwheels and having a lengthsufficient to retain the coin in position in the wheel until the lastmotion is imparted by the lever to the wheel. The upper edge of the coinprojects into the line of movement of the tooth on the plate 13.Therefore bypushing down on the outer end of the lever the coin-wheelwill be rotated through the space of one step. This of course imparts acorresponding motion to the delivery-wheel, so that a cigar will fallfrom one of its lower pockets into a chute 16 and discharge into areceiver 17 at the outer side of the machine, from which the cigar maybe removed. If three cigars are desired from this upper box, atwenty-five-cent piece is to be placed in the chute leading to thecoinwheel, (shown in the upper compartment at the left-hand side of Fig.2,) and the operatinglever is to be moved up and down three times, asthis particular lever carries a plate having three teeth 14. Upon thefirst downward movement of the lever the first tooth on the plateengaging with the coin will move the coin-wheel one step. Then as thelever is moved upward by its spring the rear beveled edge of the firsttooth will engage with the coin, spring the plate out so that the secondtooth will engage with the coin, and move the wheel another step. \Vhenthe lever is again pressed down, then of course the third tooth on theplate will operate in the same manner. During each step motion of thecoin-wheel and the delivery-wheel a cigar will be discharged from thedelivery-wheel.

The delivery-wheel in the lower compartment has the two coin-receivingwheels described, and coacting with one of the coinwheels is a leverhaving a single tooth, and coacting with the other coin-wheel is a levercarrying six teeth, so that by this downward movement of the lever sixcigars will be discharged. When the cigars are placed in the casing, thecover of the box is to be first removed and the box placed on the hopperwith the open end downward, so that the cigars may fall into the pocketsthat are uppermost in the hopper. Inclined guides 18 will prevent thecigars from falling to the forward pockets of the deliverywheel, or, inother words, the cigars will fall into pockets forward of the pocketdirectly in front of the top pocket. The casing will be provided withdoors 19,so that the cigar-boxes may be placed in the casing, and thesedoors will be provided with glass panels, so that the brand of cigarsmay be seen on the label on the end of the box, and preferably beforeplacing a box 3 of cigars in the casing a portion of its end wall willbe broken away, as indicated in the drawings at 00, so that it may beseen when a box is empty.

There will of course be a coin-chute for each coin-receiving wheel, andas these several coin-chutes are of similar construction, excepting thateach one is adapted in size for a particular size of coin, a descriptionof one will answer for all. The chute consists of a section 20, extendedin a vertical direction and adapted to discharge a coin upon the wheelbelow it, and an inclined section 21, com municating with an opening 22in the front of the casing.

Mounted to swing in the upper portion of the section 21 of thecoin-chute is a deflecting-plate 23. The upper end of thisdeflecting-plate engages normally against the bottom wall of thechute-section 21, and its lower end is substantially on a plane with thetop wall of the chute-section which isarranged on the lower portionthereof.

Mounted to swing transversely in the chutesection 21 and through anopening in the lower wall thereof is a washer-discharging device, hereshown as consisting of a wire loop 24, having hearings in cars 25 andbeing provided with an arm 26, upon which is a counterbalance 27, whichnormally holds the inner end of the loop 24 against the inner side ofthe top wall of the chute-section. Projected inward from the upper wallof the chute-section 21 and below the loop 24 is a lug 28.

In operation when a coin of the proper denomination is passed into theopening 22 it slides onto the plate 23, and when it reaches a point tooverbalance the upper end of the plate the said plate will be tilteddownward and the coin will be discharged between the upper and lowerwalls of the upper section of the chute. Then by engaging with thetongue or loop 24 it will swing said tongue or loop downward, so thatthe coin may continue and fall into the section 20 of the chute. Shoulda coin of smaller diameter than that required be inserted, it will fallinto the tongue or loop 24, moving it downward, as above described; butthe coin instead of passing into the section 20 will fall outwardthrough an opening 29 in the bottom Wall of the chute-section 21. Shoulda coin, metal disk, or similar device lighter than the coin designed tobe used in the chute be deposited, it will slide over the plate 23without tilting the same and be directed onto the upper side of thechute-section 21, from which it will fall into a suitable receptacle.Should a washer or similar device having a hole in its center bedeposited, and assuming that said washer or similar device should have aweight suflicient to tilt the plate 23, it will fall onto thechute-section 21 and tilt the tongue or loop 24 until it removes it asuflicient distance downward or against the lug 28 to permit the tongueor loop to be moved into the opening. This movement of the tongue iscaused by the counterweight 27. Then the upper wall of the openingthrough the washer or the like will engage with the upper side of thetongue or loop, swinging it downward, causing the washer or the like tofalloutward through the opening 29. Coins that reach the coin-Wheelswill be discharged therefrom on the fioor of the casing or into suitablereceptacles, and the casing will be provided with suitable doors, sothat the accumulated coin maybe removed.

The boxes 3 may be held from movement by clampingscrews 30.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent l. Avending-machine,comprisingacasing, a hoppertherein, a delivery-wheel having a number of pockets, a toothedcoin-receiving wheel attached to the shaft of the deliver wheel, a leverloosely mounted on said shaft, a resilient plate carried by the lever,and a tooth on said plate adapted for engagement with a coin in thecoin-wheel, substantially as specified.

2. A vending-machine,comprising a casing, a delivery-wheel in the casinghaving a number of pockets, coin-receiving wheels on the shaft of thedelivery-wheel, one at each end, levers loosely mounted on the shaftadjacent to the coin-wheels, a plate carried by one of said levers andhaving a tooth for engaging with a coin in the coin-wheel, a platecarried by the other of said levers, and a plurality of teeth on saidplate for. successively 'engaging with a coin in the coin-wheel,substantially as specified.

3. In a vending-machine, a casing, a hopper in the casing, adelivery-wheel arranged in the casing and consisting of a cylinderhaving outwardly-extending blades forming the side walls of pockets,means for imparting a single step motion to said delivery-wheel upon thedeposit of a coin, and means for imparting a plurality of step motionsto said wheel upon the deposit of a coin, substantially as specified.

4. A vending-machine,comprising a casing, a delivery-wheel, acoin-receiving wheel fixed to the shaft of the delivery-wheel, the saidcoin-receiving wheel consisting of a disk hav- .ing outwardly andinwardly extended teeth,

ver, and a tooth on the plate adapted for engagement with a coinsupported in the coinreceiving wheel, substantially as specified.

5. In a vending-machine, an inclined coinchute having an opening in itslower wall, a swinging tongue extending normally across from the rearwall to the upper wall of the chute, and a lug extended downward fromthe inside of the upper Wall of the chute, substantially as specified,

6. In a vending-machine, an inclined coinchute having an opening throughits lower wall, a tongue adapted to swing in said opening and normallyextended across the chute, a counterbalance for said tongue, a lug inthe chute below the tongue, and a plate mounted to swing in the chuteabove the tongue, the upper end of said plate engaging normally with thebottom wall of the chute and the lower end of said plate beingsubstantially on a plane with the top of the chute, substantially asspecified.

7 In a cigar-vending machine, a deliverywheel, coin-controlled means fordischarging a single cigar from said wheel upon the insertion of asingle coin, and coin-controlled means for discharging a plurality ofcigars from said wheel upon the insertion of a single coin, the twocoin-controlled means being independent one from the other,substantially as specified.

WILLIAM MCCOY MACK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. LANG, GEORGE H. TOWNSEND.

